When performing a magickal rite, it is important that the symbols you use convey your objective. As an agency of the Earth element, the pentacle makes the ideal surface on which to place your symbolic representations during ritual. Because the pentacle will be serving as the host to your magickal objectives, it is important to consider the physical properties of the pentacle itself. These include: the sub- stance you make your pentacle from, color, and inscriptions or engravings.
Wood
Wood is symbolic of the mother, the Goddess, and wisdom. Wood makes an ideal pentacle, and is very easy to
work with. Wood absorbs and radiates energy, infusing the focused thought forms into the objects placed upon it. Choose the wood for your pentacle according to the natural vibrations you would like it to have.
Apple: Belongs to Aphrodite, Venus, Freya, Ishtar,
Cerridwen, and the element of Water; used for love, pas- sion, fertility, foundation, and inspiration.
Ash: Corresponds to the gods Neptune, Odin, and Mercury
and the elements of Air and Water; aids in mental clarity.
Birch: Associated with the mysteries of the Goddess; the
elements of Earth, Air, and Water; is used in making parch- ment; contributes to health, healing, and general magick.
Hawthorn: Belongs to Mars, Thor, Blodeuwedd, and Hera;
the elements of Fire and Earth; allows access to the under- world; is protective, cleansing, and helps to manifest desire.
Hazel: Equates with Mercury, Hermes, Woden, and Thor;
the elements of Air and Water; is associated with dowsing, divination, finding hidden things, and developing wisdom.
Maple: Corresponds to Jupiter; the element of Air; promotes
love, longevity, and material success.
Oak: Associated with Zeus, Thor, Juno, Diana, Rhea,
Demeter, Dagda, Bridget; the elements of Fire and Earth, and sometimes Water; permits entrance into the mysteries, is a keeper of knowledge, and promotes courage, spiritual strength, and protection.
Pine: Aligns with Mars, Freya, Osiris, Cybele; the element of
Fire; helps with birth, purification, insight, and divination.
Metal
Metals are the bones of the Earth; the reflection of the powers of the God and Goddess. Metals are beautiful, they conduct energy, and they were considered to be sacred in
ancient times. In addition to their temporal qualities, each metal is aligned with a planetary energy that influences all it comes in contact with. Most New Age and Occult shops carry a variety of planetary pentacles for practitioners to choose from. The following six metals are most often used in the construction of altar pentacles.
Silver: Associated with the Moon, Artemis, Selene, Hecate,
Diana, Sin, Shiva; the element of Water; encourages the femi- nine mystique, intuition, instinctive wisdom, spiritual and psychic understanding, fertility, and magick.
Gold: Belongs to the Sun, Apollo, Dionysius, Helios, Sol,
Vishnu, Ra; the element of Fire; develops strength, power, success, achievement, wealth, and masculine energy.
Copper: Corresponds to Venus, Aphrodite, Ishtar, Lakshmi,
Bast; the elements Water and Fire; aids with matters of the heart, love, passion, friendship, reconciliation of differences, harmony, beauty, and attraction.
Tin: Associated with Jupiter, Zeus, Athens, Poseidon,
Minerva, Marduk, and Indra; the element of Water; helps with idealism, expansion, attracting success, obtaining jus- tice, religious leadership, and prosperity.
Iron: Belongs to Mars, Volcanus, Durga, and Sekhmet; the
element of Fire; supports dynamic energy, enthusiasm, cour- age, bodily strength, and war.
Lead: Corresponds to Saturn, Hera, Kronos, Saeturnus,
Parvati, Kali, and Ptah; the element of Earth; encourages creativity, the bringing of ideas into material form, restric- tion, formation, discipline.
Stone
Stone is the symbol of stability, durability, immorality, cohesion, and the indestructibility of the supreme reality.
Stones often accompany trees in sacred places, or stand alone to mark a sacred place or event. The Stone of Foundation is the rock on which the universe was founded, the keystone of the Earth and source of the waters of life, the rock that pre- vails against Hades and the powers of the underworld. The stones listed here are ones that usually come in slices or sec- tions large enough to fashion into a pentacle.
Agate: Associated with Mercury; the elements of Earth and
Fire; helps to build courage, strength, and self healing, is good for protection.
Beryl: Corresponds to Neptune, Tiamat, Mara; the element
of Water; can be used for healing, love, and to stop gossip.
Calcite: Equates with Venus; the element of Water, aids in
centering, spiritual endeavors, purification, protections, and healing.
Geodes: Associated with the Great Mother; the element of
Water; are used for meditation and fertility.
Malachite: Corresponds to Venus; the element of Earth; is
good to use for love, peace, business success , and power.
Petrified Wood: Is not an actual stone but rather a fossil
that is associated with the Akasha and the elements; most often used for past-life regression, healing, and protection.
PLANETS
Millions of years old, from ancient Babylon to modern times, the planets have always symbolized the essential forces of the universe. Equated with the gods, endowed with magickal attributes, and viewed as lights of influence, then and now the planets affect all aspects of daily life.
The sun and the moon, which dominated the daylight hours and night skies, were the first “planets” to be associ- ated with the life-giving forces of the elements, seasons, and man’s day-to-day struggle to survive. These two luminaries were credited with the power to control the cyclic process and deified as the source of life itself.
As mythology and storytelling evolved, so did the god- like qualities of the celestial bodies, and their ability to con- trol human existence. Besides the sun and moon, the father and mother of the universe, other planetary gods and god- desses began to emerge, each with his or her own individual identity and domain of influence.
The sun, moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn (the sun and moon are regarded as planets in this sense) formed the original pantheon of heavenly powers that ruled over the affairs of humans. Each planet was as- signed an area of influence that controlled the human en- deavors within that realm. For example, the Sun was equated with the Greek god Apollo, and governed strength, self- expression, and vitality, which were associated with leader- ship, royalty, and government.
Learning to use planetary energy makes magickal work easier, since each planet relates to everyday life in some way. Basically, just about everything we do or seek to achieve is subordinate to a planetary force. Magickally, this means that everything in creation responds to a specific planetary en- ergy. Therefore, if you know which energy rules or governs a certain object or event, then you can use the corresponding planetary power to influence it. The more you know about the planets and their corresponding attributes and symbols, the more precise you can be in designing magickal rites.